Index on Censorship and English PEN call for further political commitment after Straw's support

Two leading freedom of speech campaigning organisations yesterday called for further political commitment to a Libel Reform Bill, but said they are encouraged by the Justice Secretary's proposals for 'wholesale' libel law reform.

The Sunday Times yesterday reported that Jack Straw had pledged his commitment to reforming libel law and will draw up new proposals which could lead to a new bill.

Following the newspaper's report, English PEN and the Index on Censorship (IOC) praised the justice secretary's pledge and called for the three main political parties to back a new bill, as recommended in their libel law reform campaign.
 
Straw, according to the Sunday Times, said: "A free press can't operate or be effective unless it can offer readers comment as well as news. What concerns me is that the current arrangements are being used by big corporations to restrict fair comment, not always by journalists, but also by academics."

Straw acknowledged that Conditional Fee Agreements (CFAs) in defamation cases and 'very high levels of remuneration for defamation lawyers in Britain seem to be incentivising libel tourism'.

It was reported that the Justice Secretary was 'impressed' by the IOC and PEN report published two weeks ago, the result of a one-year independent inquiry.
 
But the organisations remained cautious in their praise. "Jack Straw's statement is welcomed, but he will be judged not by his rhetoric, but by his actions," said John Kampfner, chief executive of IOC, in a release.

"We would now like to see the government, and the opposition parties, to all make a firm commitment to reform of our antiquated and open-to-abuse defamation legislation, based on the recommendations put forward by English PEN and Index on Censorship."

It is an opportunity for the government and opposition parties to address the 'serious abuses of justice that are making English libel courts a travesty at home and a global pariah abroad', added Jonathan Heawood, director of English PEN.

"Mr Straw's comments are a good first step, but they must be followed by a clear commitment for a libel reform bill."

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